Mental Health Today Show | Mental Wellness & Overthinking

Greg carried a suffering he couldn't name from the time he was a small child, an emotional and spiritual pain so heavy that by age ten he had made his first attempt to end his life. Over the next eight years, he tried repeatedly, saw psychologists and psychiatrists, and took the medications they prescribed, but nothing touched what he was feeling, because it was never the chemical imbalance they assumed.

At eighteen, he made what he intended to be his final attempt, taking hundreds of pills. He survived, and doctors called it a miracle, but the overdose left lasting damage to his heart, damage a cardiologist later told him would likely kill him within a decade.

The healing that followed wasn't just emotional; it also became physical, and the two turned out to be inseparable. Years later, after a second brush with death gave him a reason to live for the first time, Greg's body was still failing him: autoimmune disease, tumors, chronic pain, and that same damaged heart left him bedridden for six months, unable even to hold a TV remote.

Twenty years working in the medical field had taught him to expect answers from conventional medicine, and there weren't any. So he turned to molecular hydrogen, something he initially dismissed as a scam, and spent four years studying hundreds of studies before it became the thing that gave him his body back. For Greg, recovering his physical health wasn't separate from recovering his will to live; rebuilding one rebuilt the other.

That combined journey is now his life's work: he runs the YouTube channel UPRISING144K, where he teaches hundreds of thousands of people the science of hydrogen therapy, and he speaks openly about the years he didn't want to survive, and what it took (spiritually and physically) to become someone who does.

Learn more:

https://www.youtube.com/@UPRISING144K

The Mental Health Today Show Podcast

Host: John Cordray, LPC

Kelly N. Edmondson, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, GC-C, is a nurse executive, certified grief counselor, bereaved mother, speaker, and founder and CEO of Timely Presence.

With more than two decades of healthcare experience—from trauma intensive care nursing to enterprise nursing leadership—Kelly has spent her career supporting people through crisis and helping organizations build more compassionate systems of care.

After the unexpected death of her 28-year-old son, Darius, in 2023, Kelly experienced how quickly support can disappear while grief continues. She founded Timely Presence to help change that reality through sustained, milestone-aware support for grieving families.

Kelly speaks about grief and mental health, trauma-informed leadership, workplace bereavement, continuing bonds, and practical ways individuals and organizations can reduce the isolation grieving people often experience. Her work has been featured in TIME and Black Enterprise, and she has appeared on more than 40 podcasts discussing grief, leadership, loss, and the power of consistent presence.

Learn more here: https://thetimelypresence.com

The Mental Health Today Show: www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Mark Steiner is the Co-Founder and CEO of GigSalad, the leading online marketplace that has connected over 4 million event planners with entertainers, speakers, and service providers. His path into entrepreneurship began in the world of acting, film sets, and talent representation, where he discovered his passion for helping creatives find opportunities to do what they love.

Adopted at birth and late-diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, Mark has always viewed the world through a lens of empathy, intuition, and emotional intelligence. He leads with compassion, trust, and a belief that business should feel meaningful rather than transactional. In his view, when one person succeeds, everyone should rise with them.

A natural storyteller, Mark speaks openly about leadership, vulnerability, creativity, adoption, ADHD, and building a business that prioritizes humanity. His voice carries warmth, honesty, and vision, and he believes that the best ideas are the ones that make life better for others.

Learn more:

https://thinkupon.com/

https://www.instagram.com/stories/markandrewsteiner/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markandrewsteiner/

The Mental Health Today Show

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Mental wellness after a cancer diagnosis goes beyond surviving—it's about processing the psychological trauma that comes with the diagnosis itself. In this episode, John Cordray (LPC) breaks down the emotional resilience strategies and coping techniques that help patients navigate catastrophic thinking, anxiety, and identity shifts post-diagnosis. Learn research-backed CBT tools to reclaim mental clarity during one of life's most disruptive moments.

Learn more about Tim:

https://www.advocacyatwork.com/

https://instagram.com/timamcdonald

https://linkedin.com/in/timamcdonald

The Mental Health Today Show: https://www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Trauma recovery takes many forms, and for singer Machan Taylor, songwriting and performance became the ultimate healing tool. In this episode, John Cordray talks with Machan about her four-decade music career, her work with icons like Sting and Pink Floyd, and how emotional resilience was forged through vulnerability on stage. Her new memoir, Naked Out Loud, reveals how art transforms pain into beauty, a lesson applicable to your own journey toward mental wellness and anxiety relief.

https://www.machantaylor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/machantaylor/

https://www.instagram.com/machantaylorofficial/

https://www.youtube.com/@MachanTaylorOfficial

The Mental Health Today Show site: https://www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Managing stress during family conflicts starts with recognizing cognitive distortions, learning wellness tips, and knowing what to say when tensions spike. In this episode, John Cordray walks you through practical boundary-setting scripts, calming techniques for overthinking partners, and evidence-based CBT tools for defusing disagreements without abandoning your needs. Perfect for burned-out professionals navigating holiday stress, family visits, or everyday partner tension.

The Mental Health Today Show: https://www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Unresolved grief often masquerades as anxiety, burnout, or overthinking for many people. In this episode, host John Cordray explores how coping with loss and the importance of grief recovery, and how unexpected and unresolved loss impacts emotional wellness and mental clarity, and shares evidence-based coping strategies to help you process grief and reclaim your life. Using CBT techniques and professional insight, discover why some losses linger and how to build emotional resilience.

www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray, LPC

Explore guided abstract drawing with Jeff Losner, founder of An Abstract Mind, to enhance mental wellness and emotional resilience. This episode introduces The Abstract Tray technique for mindful emotional awareness and stress coping strategies through a calming 5-minute creative exercise.

Learn more about Jeff's work here:

www.anabstractmind.com

www.abstracttray.com

Please leave a review and rating of the show: https://ratethispodcast.com/mentalhealthtodayshow

Host, John Cordray, LPC www.johncordraylpc.com

All-or-nothing thinking is a cognitive distortion that keeps high achievers trapped in burnout cycles. In this episode, John Cordray explores how black-and-white thinking fuels anxiety, perfectionism, and mental exhaustion—and shares CBT-based techniques to break free. Learn practical emotional wellness strategies designed for busy professionals who struggle with extremes.

Listen to more of the show: www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com

Host, John Cordray www.johncordraylpc.com

Loneliness and anxiety often trap overthinkers in a cruel paradox that creates mental barriers: you crave connection but fear it. In this episode, John Cordray, LPC, breaks down the connection crisis and reveals evidence-based anxiety coping skills and CBT techniques to rebuild for burnout, managing stress, relationships, and emotional wellness without triggering anxiety spirals. Perfect for stress coping strategies on your morning commute or gym workout.

Please take a moment to leave a review and rating here > www.mentalhealthtodayshow.com/ratetheshow

Host, John Cordray, LPC www.johncordraylpc.com